From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Engine stalling fault on the New Phantom, related to the governor and clutch, and a separate point about the inspection lamp circuit.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 69\4\ scan0028 | |
| Date | 23th March 1926 | |
| X8770 BJ2/H23.3.26. To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from BJ. Copies to OWB. Re New PhantomCodename for PHANTOM I. Thank you for Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}3/LG19.3.26. I give below a copy of Cx{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager}1/Lx/22.3.26 for your further information. B.J. Copy of Cx{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager}1/Lx22.3.26, to BJ. With reference to Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}3/LG19.3.26 on the subject of complaints, I regret that W. are not clear on the complaint referred to in paragraph 2 of their memo. and they evidently should have this explained to them more fully. What I meant was, that so long as the clutch is engaged, the engine can be throttled down so that the car will go along dead slow on top, possibly 4 mph. in the ordinary expected way. If, with the throttle set in this dead slow position, the car was then accelerated to say 30 mph. on the accelerator pedal, leaving the governor lever still in the 4 mph. position and then suddenly pulled up in an emergency where the car was brought to a standstill, the driver would find that his engine had stopped. It is under such conditions, when the clutch is taken out and the car pulled up in ordinary traffic conditions, that the engine will stop, unless the governor lever is sufficiently far up as to permit the car running at not less than about 20 mph. W. should understand that the engine only stops or fails to run slowly in this way when the clutch is taken out, its performance otherwise is quite normal. It looks to me as if the governor is the cause of the fault and I believe CWB. is of the same opinion. Regarding paragraph 3 of Derby's memo. I have not suggested that the inspection lamp circuit should be without a fuse. My suggestion is that it should be a separate circuit of its own. I see no objection to a fuse in this circuit, if considered desirable. What I do feel is wrong however, (and Mr. Pyman the customer who suffered in this way entirely agrees) is that in cases of trouble of this sort where the fuse has gone, there is no inspection lamp with which to make an examination. I do not suggest this occurrence will take place very often, but here is an instance where it did take place, and the owner was at a considerable disadvantage. CX.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} (sgd.) L.W.C. | ||